Happy Birthday Karsten

but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong… – I Corinthians 1:27

If you’ve read my bio, you’ll know that I have a funny name that I wasn’t necessarily fond of. I think it’s easy to pronounce – Nat rhymes with cat, and Karsten is pronounced just liked it’s spelled – Car Sten (Sten rhymes with then). For some reason, people call me Nate. Why? Do you ever mispronounce hat to be hate? Karsten isn’t hard to pronounce, but for some reason people call me kerosene sometimes. I’ve been called worse, I guess. I’ve been called idiot, stupid, lame brain dummy, weak, and foolish.

Foolish – I guess I’ve done some foolish things.  I’ve been tossed around in two wrecks, failed miserably in school, put my foot so far in my mouth that I can dunk by sneezing, and…well, the list goes on.

Weak – I guess I’ve shown weakness before. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease when I was 18, been in the hospital more times in one year than others go during their entire lives, and had to take steroids (that deteriorated my bone and muscle mass while causing me to gain weight) just to take the pain from Crohn’s away.

Weak. Yep. Foolish. Check. So many people falsely prophesized that I wouldn’t make it. Guess what? Today, Heaven proclaimed ‘Happy Birthday, Karsten!’

This weak, foolish, bald headed, yellow, goatee sporting nobody is still here. Happy Birthday, Karsten! The phrase means more to me now than it ever did.

My ‘confusing’ foolish name is more than a tongue twister. It’s Providence. The meaning of Karsten is ‘anointed’.

Anointed.

A few years ago, God defined anointed for me – divinely equipped to fulfill the position. Notice that first word – divinely. Straight from God. God has equipped me with everything I need to fulfill every assignment I’ve been given. Nothing can run into me that God hasn’t commanded that I run over. Homey, I’ve got Jesus in me. You can’t stop what you can’t hold. Christ beat the hell out of death, so how in the world can you stop Him driving the automobile that I call my body? I’m anointed!

When I’m called my middle name, I’m reminded that I’m anointed. Yes, I’m often foolish. Yes, I’m often weak. But I’m still provisioned by God. Happy Birthday, Karsten is more than a greeting of celebratory love for me, it’s an acknowledgment of Heaven’s storehouse. Happy Birthday, Karsten is really saying, ‘thank God for another year of His anointing’.

Haters don’t understand the anointing. They don’t see the point of God giving the intangible to overtake the tangible. You understand it, though. Why? Because you’re anointed.

The anointing speaks for you. The anointing fights for you. When satan runs up against you, he finds himself sparring with your anointing. The anointing breaks every yoke (Isaiah 10:27).

The weak may not have the strong’s strength, but they have God’s anointing.

The foolish may not have the intelligent’s degrees, but they have God’s anointing.

The anointing confuses educated non believers. They will watch God use you, so they will try to learn to do it on their own.

When you’re anointed, people will go to school to do what God created you to be.

This isn’t just my day, fam. It’s your day. Our day. God’s day.

Thank you for another year of the anointing, Father – your Glory imparted in our bodies.